HP C - Printhead and Interconnect Maintenance; Inserting and Removing the Print Cartridge; Printhead Wiping Techniques

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3. PRINTHEAD AND INTERCONNECT CARE
3.1 Inserting and Removing the Print Cartridge
The print cartridge should stay in the carriage at all times except when the
operator is
? Replacing it
? Cleaning it
? Storing it
The print cartridge should never be:
? Shaken
? Dropped
? Hit against the palm of one’s hand or any other hard surface (e.g. a
table)
Shaking the print cartridge does NOT “mix” up the ink and hitting the cartridge
against a hard surface does NOT clear the nozzles. Both of these actions actually
hurt the print quality because they allow bubbles to form near the ink firing
chambers. These bubbles prevent the nozzles from firing causing white streaks in
print and images.
3.2 Wiping
The secret to good print output is the maintenance of the printhead. During
printing, ink can build up on the printhead causing black or colored spray in the
text. Paper fibers and dust can also build up on the printhead degrading the print
quality. Proper printhead maintenance will allow the cartridge to produce good
print quality its whole life. A cotton TexWipe
®
and de-ionized or distilled water
is one of the best ways to wipe ink and other build-up off of the printhead. A
TexWipe
®
is a 100% cotton, high-density cloth with no chemical additives.
Contact information to order TexWipes is located at the end of this document.
Something comparable is adequate to wipe the nozzles. A good choice of wipe
would have the following qualities:
? Soft
? Fiberless
? No chemical additives
? Moist with De-ionized or Distilled Water
A cloth should NOT be:
? Abrasive
? Dry
? Made of small fibers that can be left behind on the cartridge’s nozzle
plate
Watch Out!
Watch Out!